{"id":14136,"date":"2016-05-31T17:11:47","date_gmt":"2016-05-31T16:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mioli.wpengine.com\/?p=14136"},"modified":"2024-01-25T11:09:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T11:09:48","slug":"combat-lower-back-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moveitorloseit.co.uk\/health\/combat-lower-back-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Combat Lower Back Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back pain is miserable and immensely common with 8 in 10 people suffering one or more bouts of lower back pain and the causes and treatments are numerous. In many cases, lifting something heavy without the proper technique causes muscle strain \u2013 which happened to me recently when I tried to pick up my heavy bags of equipment for class when twisting. Ice packs and pain relief did the trick and within a few days I was fortunate to be back on track.<\/p>\n

So many of my class members suffer with lower back pain which impedes their mobility. Of course the worst thing you can do is sit down and rest yet when you\u2019re in pain it is natural to stop moving.\u00a0 The advice used to be bed rest, but now that\u2019s to be avoided (apart from maybe the first couple of days when it\u2019s really acute). Today, the general advice for nonspecific lower back pain is to keep active and keep doing normal daily activities as much as possible. In most cases, the pain disappears within six weeks but may come back from time to time.<\/p>\n

Phyllis, who is in her 80s and has been a regular Move it or Lose it class goer, recently twisted her back which developed into sciatica which she described as \u201cworse than toothache.\u201d After reluctant visits to the doctor who recommended pain killers and to keep moving, Phyl saw a physiotherapist who was thrilled that she was coming to a class especially one that included strengthening exercises. Use our postcode finder if you\u2019re looking for a class near you: Find a Class<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Like so many other musculoskeletal problems, keeping the muscles strong does help reduce the load on the joints and often offers a better solution than opiates which often have negative side effects. This is particularly concerning for older people as the last thing they need is medication which makes them feel sleepy or more likely to lose their balance.<\/p>\n

It took several weeks but I\u2019m glad to say that Phyl is now out of pain and feels like a \u201cnew woman!\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the many contributors to developing simple lower back pain is having tight hamstrings which also affects the walking gait. There are several ways to stretch hamstrings but in our classes we do a really effective seated hamstring stretch. This really appeals to the many people who avoid yoga and Pilates as that involves getting up and down from the floor.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to do a seated hamstring stretch:<\/p>\n